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Wilmington weighs in on buildings' future

By Kori Tuitt, ktuitt@lowellsun.com

Updated:
06/29/2016 10:20:32 PM EDT

WILMINGTON -- Town Hall on Glen Road may be transformed into a senior center in years to come. And imagine a building at the former Swain School site that houses Town Hall and school administrative services in one place.

These were just a couple of potential plans discussed at the Facility Master Plan meeting Wednesday night. Residents and town officials came to Wilmington Middle School to find out what may be the fate of the town's municipal buildings. The Facility Master Plan Committee has been working with The Cecil Group, a consulting company, to determine the what is best for the town.

"What we're looking to do is develop a road map for the use of our facilities," Town Manager Jeff Hull said. "I'm not looking to propose that in the next Town Meeting we are looking to appropriate funds for another building."

The plans presented were designed to look 10 to 15 years down the road.

Steven G. Cecil, president of The Cecil group, gave a presentation of the Facility Master Plan Committee and The Cecil Group's findings after much research and analysis of the town's municipal buildings.

"People are staying here and living here as they get older," Cecil said. "And a lot of us are getting older."

Cecil added that Wilmington's aging population should be a factor in making decisions about town buildings. In addition the population of school-age children is expected to decrease over the years.

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In April, the town sent out a survey of 21 multiple-choice questions for residents to complete regarding Wilmington's municipal buildings. The Facility Master Plan Committee compiled the findings from the 461 respondents. The great majority of respondents reported Wilmington High School as the best building in town and Town Hall, a 58-year-old building, as the worst.

"If you're going to create a better Town Hall complex, that makes a lot of sense for sure," Cecil said.

When looking at the buildings, excluding school buildings, one of the proposals was to improve the quality of municipal facilities through renovation, rather than constructing new buildings. The ideas were to move Town Hall to either the former Swain School site or the Whitefield School site, combining it with other town needs, like a library and school administration building.

Selectmen Chairwoman Judith O'Connell and members Michael Champoux and Kevin Caira all expressed their opposition to Town Hall being moved to the former Swain School site. They noted parking and traffic issues as some of their concerns.

"It's great to bring everybody to a central location, but I'm just concerned," O'Connell said.

Cecil assured that none of these plans were set in stone and can be modified.

Five potential plans were also discussed on how to handle the future of Wilmington's public schools, excluding the high school, which was rebuilt last year.

One plan was to extend the lives of the existing facilities through better maintenance practices. Another was to start major renovations on the schools to meet current educational standards. The third idea was to consolidate schools to create four Pre-K through fifth grade schools. The fourth proposal was to consolidate Pre-K and kindergarten into one school, and create three other schools from first to fifth grade. And the last proposal was to create one Pre-K school and three other kindergarten through fifth grade schools.

Schools Superintendent Mary DeLai said she is in support of consolidating elementary schools because that means fewer transitions for Wilmington students.

"The research shows that these transitions can be challenging for students," DeLai said. "The research shows that if you minimize those transitions, it's in the best interest of those students."

DeLai also mentioned that consolidation can help to better manage class sizes. She said there may be saving on operational costs down the road because of fewer buildings, but staffing will still be dependent on the number of students enrolled.

Senior housing was not part of the formal presentation because it is a private building rather than a municipal building. However, after O'Connell asked why property near St. Dorothy's Church has not been considered in the plans, Valerie Gingrich, director of planning and conservation, spoke up.

"One of the things we looked at, at St. Dorothy's is senior housing," Gingrich said. "If Town Hall moves somewhere else, there's a possibility of having a senior center at that site."

Residents will still have the opportunity to contribute to the conversation at the Facility Master Plan Committee's next meeting on Thursday, July 21 at Town Hall.

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